Nothing New Under the Sun
by livingondaydreams
Summary: "Green grass breaks through snow / Artemis pleads for my help / I am so cool." :: A collection of drabbles centered around everyone's favorite god of poetry. R&R! Eighteen: Apollo and His Friends Save Olympus
1. Change

**A/N: I'm back with the fourth installment in the Perspective series! For those of you who haven't read the last few, the Perspective series is a series of collections of drabbles (100 word pieces—please don't tell me to make them longer)**** that center around gods – Hades, Dionysus, Hera, & Apollo. Some advance notice: I'm probably going to horribly abuse the word **_**awesome**_**. So far, it's cropped up in the first few, so I might end up using it in every drabble as a weak inside joke. I also apologize for the rather obvious title drop here. But hey, Rick Riordan does it. Why can't I? **

**~This first one is in loving memory of the best English teacher anyone could ask for, who died tragically a year ago today. My thanks to thee, Ms. Kearney, for teaching me that a daily dose of insanity is healthy.~  
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**And now, since this note is now longer than the drabble itself, I give you..****.**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Change<strong>

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><p>In all those years of riding across the sky, Apollo had noticed four things.<p>

First, birds were _really_ annoying.

Second, driving the chariot gave him a great view of all the little mortals down on earth. Plus, it was great for impressing girls.

Third, nothing changed much. Mortals invented things and spoke different languages, but the world stayed the same. The sun still rode across the sky (though they now thought Apollo was a giant ball of gas, which he found very insulting) and mortals still wondered at it. There was nothing new under the sun.

Fourth?

He was awesome.


	2. Haiku

**A/N: You have _no_ idea how hard it is to write a hundred words in the form of a few haikus. (The plural is actually haiku, but it sounded weird.) It's purposefully awkward in some places. Enjoy, and please leave your thoughts in a review! Bonus points if you make it a haiku.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Haiku<strong>

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><p>How he loved haiku<p>

Abbreviated but deep

Elusive purpose

~0~

True, they were sometimes

Cryptic, vague, and fragmented

But a good one rocked

~0~

Those like Apollo

with a gift for awesomeness

saw the hidden truth

~0~

Like that one daughter

who could even make them rhyme

Now _she_ was awesome

~0~

Haiku was his life

Like therapy for psychos

or the sun for plants

~0~

If only, he thought,

the world could speak in haiku

and talk… cap-ab-ly

~0~

So much sim-pl-er

Five/seven/five, just like that

The message was clear

~0~

But the best thing, of

all the haiku's traits, was they

annoyed his sister


	3. Disguise

**A/N: Considerably more serious than the last one. Sorry it took so long to update... kinda forgot I need to do that every once in a while. Enjoy, and review? Also, high fives to SeaChick, horseyfan, PureAwesomeness13, Unsuspected, and xFireStar for attempting to review in the form of a haiku. They were a source of great entertainment. You guys rock.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Disguise<strong>

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><p>He'd found the perfect disguise.<p>

After all, who would suspect that the man with the raggedy coat, the unattended gray beard, and that, um, _unpleasant_ odor was actually a god? The god of light and culture and all things awesome, no less. What would the Sun God be doing all dressed up (or rather, dressed down) as a common vagrant, someone who was most definitely _not_ awesome? No one would notice him. It made Apollo a little sad—he _(Fred)_ would be virtually invisible. Nobody wanted to look at a defeated hobo.

And so Fred the homeless-man-slash-god came to be.


	4. Education

**A/N: Not sure about the title for this one. I was thinking something along the lines of Driver's Ed... and how Apollo learns not to trust Thalia with a burning sports car. This'll be the closest any of you shippers will get to Thapollo (?) so enjoy it. Review?  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Education<br>**

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><p>Yeah, yeah. It was irresponsible. He'd heard that story about Phaethon losing control of the chariot thousands of times, but this was a car, wasn't it? Much easier to control than a team of fire-breathing horses.<p>

And seriously—his new little sister was _awesome_. Not as cool as he was, and in a different way, but Thalia was pretty chill. Sure, she could be sorta dark, and Aegis creeped him out a bit (don't you dare tell), but there was something about this daughter of Zeus that he liked.

So why not let her drive? No harm in trying, right?


	5. Possum

**AN: More bad poetry. Enjoy, and review?  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Possum<strong>

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><p>"How's this?"<p>

_There once was a goddess from Sparta_

_Who hated the Magna Carta_

_The king got mad_

_And called her a cad_

_Then sent her to live in Jakarta_

"That makes no—"

"Wait! This one's better."

_I know of a man of deceit_

_Who stole ambrosia for sweets_

_He cooked a young lad_

_The gods got mad_

_Now dining is quite a feat_

"Apollo—"

_My name is Apollo the Awesome_

_My chariot's paint job is custom_

_I'm hot as the sun_

_And twice as much fun—_

"But my sister turned me into a possum," Artemis finished, smirking.


	6. Dumbstruck

**AN: Not much to say here. Enjoy, review, etc.**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Dumbstruck<strong>

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><p>"Awww, putting me on the spot? That's not fair. But I guess I can think of something, for someone as pretty as you." He winks and clears his throat dramatically. "Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you."<p>

Coffee Shop Girl (he's forgotten her name) gives him a skeptical look. "But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's empty… and so is your head." She laughs and saunters away, leaving a dumbstruck god of poetry in her wake. Apollo shakes his head.

This is why he loves poetry majors so much.


	7. Soft

**AN: Might be OOC for Apollo (the one RR's created). But who says he can't be kinda serious and angsty? Anyway… Daphne. If you don't know the myth, Google it.  
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><p><strong>Soft<strong>

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><p>He's learned to really, really dislike trees. The nymphs are fine (more than fine, actually). But the trees themselves… Not only are they extremely annoying, but that soft lonely <em>whshhh<em> reminds him of her.

Daphne.

How could he have been so stupid? Of course she ran away from him, because she was way too pretty and daring and exciting and lovely and happy and wonderful to be with him. Don't get him wrong, he knows he's awesome. But _she_… she was perfection.

And he ruined it. He got her turned into a tree, just because he wanted her.

_So selfish._


	8. Punishment

**AN: Kind of an obscure myth this time. Basically, the gods try to mutiny against Zeus, so he assigns them punishments. Poseidon and Apollo must work as slaves for King Laomedon of Troy for a year, building a wall around the city. (I'm sure they did quite a facepalm during the Trojan War.)**** Then, when they try to get the king to pay them, he refuses and cuts off their ears, so Poseidon sends a sea monster and Apollo a plague.**** Review?**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Punishment<strong>

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><p><em>Splut.<em> Another hideous glob of mortar dropped onto the growing wall.

Apollo held out his hand wearily. "Brick."

Dropping another large stone into his nephew's hand, Poseidon muttered, "This is getting old." (Along with a colorful curse aimed at his brother. Apollo couldn't agree more.)

They worked in silence under the blazing sun, and Apollo wondered why his chariot had to be so godsdamned _hot_ today.

"…should really be going faster," they heard Laomedon saying as he strutted by in his luxuriant robes. "But you know how slaves are…"

"Going to kill him someday," Poseidon growled.

Apollo nodded. "Happy to help."


	9. Polar

**AN: Fun fact! Chapter 54 of _The Lost Hero_ is 324 words long. And it only exists as its own chapter so that ch53 can have a dramatic ending. Sad, no? Also sad is that I forgot to use _awesome_ last drabble. (Thanks, TwIx27!) Enjoy/review-**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Polar<strong>

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><p>Sometimes, Apollo just didn't <em>get<em> Artemis. Maybe it was because of the whole sun vs. moon thing. They were polar opposites, even if they were twins.

Well, actually he didn't get her most of the time.

_All_ of the time.

Apollo chased after lovers almost constantly. And hey, he wasn't prejudiced about gender and stuff.

...Artemis usually turned guys into game, to use for target practice.

His ride was a burning hot, bright red, super awesome Maserati.

...She drove a giant sleigh. Pulled by _reindeer_.

He was the oldest. Definitely.

...Even though she said _she_ was.

(She was so wrong.)


	10. Third

**AN: Not my favorite. Oh well. The Black Death - cheery, right? Ten drabbles in and no sign of stopping soon. Di immortales.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Third<strong>

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><p>It started with an argument, as so many things do. He can't remember what the argument was about, maybe dating, but somehow he ended up setting a plague on Europe.<p>

Lords, peasants, children. All sick, then dead. Artemis sat silently, arms crossed; she wouldn't act until the situation was apocalyptic.

"Apollo," Hades growled. "Stop this. Do you _know_ how many—"

He shook his head resolutely. "Not until Artemis admits she's wrong."

Finally, she did. Through her teeth and with half the Council holding weapons at her throat, but she did.

And hey, only a third of Europe was killed.


	11. Resist

**AN: Not the Rachel/Apollo I told some people it would be. But that _will_ happen. I just got sidetracked. It's about Oracles, at least. Also, thanks to TwIx27 for pointing out that I forgot to use 'awesome' _again_. I made a conscious effort this time. Earns the T rating for implied... tomfoolery at the end.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Resist<strong>

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><p>There's an old myth that Apollo falls in love with all of his Oracles.<p>

And, well, it's kinda pretty much… true.

Can anyone blame him, though? Beautiful maidens (no, seriously, it was a _requirement_ that they be beautiful) who usually have awesome personalities (because of their eccentricities, no doubt) and are completely devoted to him. Or, well, to being the Oracle of Delphi. But really, it's the same thing, isn't it?

Plus there's the whole forbidden fruit thing— if he can't have it, he can't resist.

But Apollo has found some creative ways of bending the rules over the years.


	12. Figure

**AN: Working on review replies. Thanks for reading/reviewing/favoriting! Enjoy the Rachel/Apollo.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Figure<strong>

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><p>"Are you done yet?"<p>

"Stop moving and be quiet," she snapped. "I'm working on your face, and it doesn't help when your mouth _won't stop moving_."

Apollo grinned, but tried to stifle it. Only Rachel would talk to a god – a god who pretty much held her fate in his hands – that way.

Finally she said, "Okay, I think it's done. Wanna see it?"

Apollo snorted. "Is that even a question? Turn it around." The easel slowly, _slowly_ rotated so that he could see, and then his jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

Rachel had painted a smiling, sunglasses-clad… stick figure.


	13. Burn

**AN: Um, hey. Sorry for disappearing for a few days. ****This one is inspired by my purple sunburn. (Maybe Apollo got mad at me for not updating.) Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Burn<strong>

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><p><em>{Confession numero uno:}<em> Driving the sun chariot got boring sometimes, so _{confession numero dos:}_ his favorite, awesomest pastime quickly became making the mortals miserable. They would go out for a nice day on the beach—it was supposed to be stormy, according to their silly weathermen. And then suddenly his Maserati (or horses, or whatever the chariot was) burned away the clouds (sorry, Aeolus) and fried their fragile, unprotected skin. He loved to see the way their faces and arms and legs would turn rosy, scarlet,_ purple_. He loved watching the mortals' anguish. And _{confession numero tres:}_ he never regretted it.


	14. Coffee

**AN: Two in one day. Aren't I nice? Next up is (you knew this one was coming...) the infamous acrostic poem! And it's an acrostic to the word _awesome_. Which is kinda awesome. _And_ it's the return of CoffeeShopGirl. Remember her? Before the 'roses are wilting' incident.**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Coffee<strong>

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><p>Apollo had never liked acrostic poems much. They were so unoriginal, lacking in that <em>wow! awesome! <em>factor that he sought.

When he met _her_, though, acrostics took on a whole new meaning.

Every day he sat and watched her write poems.

Sometimes she scribbled furiously, and then stopped and stared at the page like it held all the secrets but wasn't talking. He would stare at her hair… it was so shiny…

[_Oh gods he was whipped._]

Months passed. Surrounded by the smell of coffee, he said nothing.

Even though she didn't know, CoffeeShopGirl had made Apollo love [_for real._]


	15. Cursed

**AN: Cassandra, because bookluva98 has been begging for ages. Not quite sure if I like this one, but I tried. Sorry for the delayed update - my dear friend Irene dropped by and she killed our power lines.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Cursed<strong>

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><p>She saw it coming.<p>

One night he saw her eyes—her beautiful, beautiful eyes—grow wide, seeing something in the future. Seeing her own ruin, downfall, destruction. Seeing herself beg for them to _please just believe me_, seeing them ridicule her and cast her aside.

And she—beautiful, beautiful girl that she was—let it happen. She could have saved herself. She could have at least pretended to love him back.

But she kept tempting him, taunting and torturing. And finally it was just too much.

He cursed her.

She had seen it coming. And she could have saved herself.


	16. Sunlit

**AN: Sad to say that _Nothing New_ is nearing its end. Last ideas, requests that I've missed - suggest away! **_  
><em>**You guys. Almost 200 reviews? ****You rock.**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Sunlit<strong>

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><p><em>It began with love, <em>

Days spent with that godlike youth with his cornflower blue eyes and long, flowing hair – those were Apollo's favorite days. The sun would shine down upon them, and Apollo always made sure its rays were soft and warm so that Hyacinth's perfect skin wouldn't burn.

_grew with a rivalry,_

And on those sunlit days, the soft spring wind would grow a little harsher, tugging at Apollo's clothes and yet caressing the boy's beautiful face gently, lovingly.

_ended with a game._

Zephyr scowled, then watched with a sort of grim satisfaction as Hyacinth fell and Apollo sobbed.


	17. Shoot

**AN: I adore you guys. I really do. TWOHUNDREDREVIEWS! ...Anyway. Random(pointless) moment between Artemis and Apollo. Go vote for who you want next in the Perspective series! Poll on my profile.  
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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Shoot<strong>

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><p>"A hundred drachma I bag this one," he whispered, smirking as he glanced over at Artemis.<p>

She glared at him for a moment then nodded. "Deal. There's no way _you_ could shoot a hawk from up here. You're hopeless with birds."

"I am not!" he cried indignantly. "I'm better than you at least. Remember those Stymphalian birds in Madrid? You barely hit three."

"Just shoot."

The bowstring slowly stretched back; a sharp _twang,_ and a dull _thud_ as the hawk hit the ground.

Apollo cleared his throat conspicuously.

_"The regal hawk falls  
>With an arrow in its neck—"<em>

"Shut up."


	18. Apollo and His Friends Save Olympus

**AN: Thank you a million times to everyone who reviewed!  
>I can now proudly (and somewhat nervously) announce that the next installment in TPS will be <span>Eye of the Beholder<span>, about Aphrodite.**  
><strong>Since this is the last drabble, Apollo is back to his typical state of awesomeness and bad poetry. Takes place a few days after the Battle of Manhattan. Oh, and yeah, I completely stole those lines from The Green Lantern. Although I was a fan before the movie. Just sayin'.<br>Thank you!**

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><p><strong>Nothing New Under the Sun<strong>

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><p><strong>Apollo and His Friends Save Olympus<strong>

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><p>"Alright!" Apollo yelled. The others groaned as he cleared his throat.<p>

_"Apollo and His Friends Save Olympus_

_In brightest day, in blackest night,  
>No evil shall escape my sight<em>

_Rays of sun burn bright and bold  
>My awesomeness in stories told<em>

_Blasting Typhon with epic power  
>I make all the Titans cower<em>

_The gods prevail thanks to my rhymes  
>Awesome in the worst of times<em>

_And with my arrows, deadly sharp  
>Monster slaughter becomes an art<em>

_Let those who worship Kronos' might,  
>Beware my power… the Sun God's light!"<em>

He finished with a grin.

The throne room was empty.


End file.
